At stake in this Referendum:

• A proposal to limit banking operations by financial services companies; forbid media company ownership of non-media companies; restructure the judicial system; prohibit casinos and gambling; and limit bullfighting and cockfighting.

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Rafael CORREA Delgado
• Head of Government: President Rafael CORREA Delgado
• Assembly: Ecuador has a unicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) with 124 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by majority vote to serve a 4-year term.*
• In the National Congress (Congreso Nacional), 15 members are elected through an open-list proportional representation system to serve 4-year terms, 103 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies to serve 4-year terms and 6 members are elected by majority vote in multi-member constituencies to serve 5-year terms.***

* The President is elected by majority vote to serve a 4-year term. Presidential elections take place under a two-round majority run-off system. In order to win in the first round, a candidate must garner at least 40% of the vote and have a 10 point advantage over the closest rival.

*** In the PR tier, electors may cast as many preferential votes as their are seats available, and may additionally cast votes across party lines in a system known as panachage. Six seats are reserved for Ecuadorians living abroad are elected in 3 multi-member constituencies.

Main provisions in the Referendum:

• In order to improve public security, do you agree a change in the law so that the following law may change the period a suspect can be detained, amending the Republic Constitution as stated by appendix 1?

Electoral Requirements

• An absolute majority of electors must vote "yes".

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 15,177,280 (2011)
• Registered Voters: 10,529,765 (April 2009)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 7,584,921 (2011)

·         Is Ecuador a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Ecuador ratified CEDAW: Yes (9 November 1981)

·         Gender Quota: Yes

·         Female candidates in this election: N/A

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 40 (following the 2009 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 88 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Low (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Ecuador a signatory to CRPD: Yes 30 March 2007

·         Has Ecuador ratified CRPD: 3 April 2008

·         Population with a disability: 2,276,592 (est.)